June 2017 - Teaching Letter - God’s Nature Is Love and So Is Ours

Galatians 5:6 (Amplified), ”For if we are in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.” The reason for redemption and God’s motive for everything He is and does, is love. John 3:16, ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The God kind of love we are talking about is the Greek word “agape”, meaning it is determined by God’s character, and it is unconditional.
God is Love. 1 John 4:7-8, ”Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.” Love is of God. We are born of God. We are born of love. 1 John 4:9-11,”In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us we are also to love one another.” God so loved us that he sent Jesus in our place. The word “propitiation” means a mercy seat. Jesus was our substitute. He took our place.
John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” God so loved that he gave. We are not condemned. Condemnation is not from the Lord. God demonstrated his love toward us in sending Jesus to the cross. Therefore, we are not condemned. We have passed from death to life. We are passed out of judgment, out of condemnation, into freedom. 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” We are of God. God is love. The greater one is in us. He is manifesting his love through us. 1 John 4:12, ”No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.” An outward demonstration of God’s love in us is that we love one another.
Our nature is love. We are as God. Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” God is spirit. He is also described as light, life, and love. We also are spirit beings. We are created in the image and likeness of Almighty God. The real “us”, our spirit beings, are light, life, and love. 1 John 4:17, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world.” The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts. Romans 5:5. We are passed out of judgment because of God's love for us in sending Jesus to the cross. Now as Jesus is - glorified, perfected, and love personified - so are we in this world.

What are the results of God’s love for us and in us? 1 John 5:4-5, ”For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the son of God?” As a result of God’s love for us, we are now born of God. He that is born of God overcomes the world. Once born again, the faith of God has now become our nature just like love. That faith, which works by love, overcomes the world.
1 John 4:17-18, ”Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.” Fear and faith are polar opposites. There is no fear in love. When we are living out the perfect love of God, fear is cast away. Fear involves torment. When we are made perfect in love, then there is no fear.
1 John 5:3, ”This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The commandments that He is talking about here are: to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He has loved us. 1 John 3:23, ”And this is his commandment: that we believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment.” 1 John 5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him.” We have confidence in the Father. We know that whatever we ask He hears us. Why? The answer is because He loves us. If He hears us, then we know that we have whatever we ask of Him. Overcoming the world with God’s faith, being fearless and perfect in love, and getting all our prayers answered is a result of being born-again, being born of love. God’s nature is love and so is ours.